URI leads Seton Hall by nine at the half

The rebuilding Rams played perhaps their best half of the season yet Sunday and earned a 32-23 lead over Seton Hall at the break of their Tip Off Classic game at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Point guard Mike Powell, coming off a strong game against Ohio State, led the way with 12 points. He was 4-for-4 on 3-pointers. The last of the four, a fall away trey as the shot clock was winding down, put Rhode Island ahead 27-14, the biggest lead of the night. Seton Hall was 9-for-23 from the field, with only one basket outside 12 feet.

URI did it without senior Nikola Malesevic. He did not play for disciplinary reasons. The problems occurred off the court, not on.